Timing of Metformin
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2t9nty
Posts: 1,572 Member
I have been doing some n=1 experiments and thought I might report. For context, I am T2D and check my glucose about 5 times a day. I am pretty good at predicting where they will be based on experience. I read somewhere that metformin is best taken about 30 minutes before eating a meal. I decided to try that to see if it made any difference. I don't have a source for the 30 min before recommendation, but I am reasonably confident I am not making it up.
My metformin is 1000 mg taken with breakfast and supper - so 2000 mg a day. It is a standard generic and not the ER.
So Thursday I did this for the first time. I only took one reading after supper Thursday because I ate late, and my first service Friday is at 6 AM. I took the metformin about 20 minutes before supper. The last reading Thursday was 105. My carbs for supper were 14 Thursday (liver as the protein source), but total net for the day was 16. Fasting the next morning was 92.
I seem to be showing some improvement in the numbers in general. As a complicating factor and additional data point, I have gone through a spell when I have been busy at work and have not been very hungry. I have not had the inclination or opportunity to do more than meet my protein goal and stay under my 20 net carb limit. I have been in "food is medicine" mode.
My calorie goal is 2000 a day, and I was having days with 1200 or 1300. I have tried to be a little more intentional about keeping calories up. My fat intake has been well under my macro limit for a while, so that is where I have been getting the additional calories. I was wondering if the low caloric intake was causing a little physical stress and bringing glucose numbers up.
So... I changed the timing of the metformin, and I have been mindful of keeping calories a little higher. The glucose numbers may be be related to one (or both) of these changes or they may just be random variation - phase of the moon stuff.
It might not hurt to try changing the timing of the metformin to see if it makes a difference in your numbers too if T2D is an issue for you.
PS: Sorry if this post rambles a little.
My metformin is 1000 mg taken with breakfast and supper - so 2000 mg a day. It is a standard generic and not the ER.
So Thursday I did this for the first time. I only took one reading after supper Thursday because I ate late, and my first service Friday is at 6 AM. I took the metformin about 20 minutes before supper. The last reading Thursday was 105. My carbs for supper were 14 Thursday (liver as the protein source), but total net for the day was 16. Fasting the next morning was 92.
I seem to be showing some improvement in the numbers in general. As a complicating factor and additional data point, I have gone through a spell when I have been busy at work and have not been very hungry. I have not had the inclination or opportunity to do more than meet my protein goal and stay under my 20 net carb limit. I have been in "food is medicine" mode.
My calorie goal is 2000 a day, and I was having days with 1200 or 1300. I have tried to be a little more intentional about keeping calories up. My fat intake has been well under my macro limit for a while, so that is where I have been getting the additional calories. I was wondering if the low caloric intake was causing a little physical stress and bringing glucose numbers up.
So... I changed the timing of the metformin, and I have been mindful of keeping calories a little higher. The glucose numbers may be be related to one (or both) of these changes or they may just be random variation - phase of the moon stuff.
It might not hurt to try changing the timing of the metformin to see if it makes a difference in your numbers too if T2D is an issue for you.
PS: Sorry if this post rambles a little.
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It is interesting to see if it makes a difference. I always take mine in the morning or else I forget. I only have 1 to take and I was told also to take before I eat, but I am often doing a 16:8 fast and don't eat til 11am or so. If I try to remember at 11 - it remains in my pocket all day. Thus I take it in the morning.1
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@2t9nty, Dr. Bernstein has mentioned pre-prandial Metformin IR as an option for addressing post-prandial spikes.
I also remember reading a study abstract to the same effect, which also observed that folks generally get little post-prandial assistance from Metformin IR taken with a meal, as recommended by many doctors.....
(There seems to be more individual variation with Metformin ER. I tend to take 1000g of ER shortly before bed and again around 6 hours before I expect my first big meal of the day.)0 -
Metformin is recommended to be take with the meal for fewer GI issues (improved patient compliance/tolerability). Taken with food, an immediate release dose has delayed absorption and something like 25% less drug absorbed compared to a dose taken with no food. I never had any issues taking mine either way and didn't really pay attention to the affect with or without food, but I find your results interesting and they seem to correlate with what you would expect given the known bioavailability of metformin: you're getting more of the drug into your system when taking it in the absence of food.1
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My BG is too high lately. I generally take Metformin first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Since it says to take with food, I wonder if taking it with dinner, or based on this suggestion, a little before dinner, would help. I read that if your BG goes too low overnight, it could contribute to morning highs. If this doesn't work, I'm going to switch back to Metformin ER for a while to observe whether it's more effective. I had been taking it, but stopped due to cost. However, I heard that the quality of the metformin that you use can be a concern. Any advice is welcome.
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@Yadagoy I had 5 years of taking two 1000mg tablets a day. I just generally took it right out of bed and the other 12 hours later and found that to be the safest.
Interesting enough the best A1C I ever had was a 5.4 with metformin and exercise. My A1C is now 5.1 (103 out of bed sugar) with no pills at all using keto to become fat adapted, now eating low carb and just exercising.
You are doing the right thing for you now with metformin but as time goes on there are other paths to get Type 2 to go dormant and live a nearly normal life.5
